Regardless the Season, One Eye is Always on Summer
The Park County Travel Council’s Bi-Monthly Report
It may be April with tax season in the rearview mirror, but we here at the Park County Travel Council (PCTC) are absolutely looking at our summer season.
We have seen our share of challenges over the past few years with Covid having a profound effect on all segments of the tourism industry in 2020 and 2021 followed by the 2022 Yellowstone floods which were much more local.
This year we are looking closely at the international market. With the numbers of travelers from Canada and Europe to the United States dropping, we are hoping to weather this storm with strong demand from domestic visitors who are always our largest segment. Compared to markets like Florida, Arizona and Southern California who attract Canadian snowbirds in the winter and other internationals to marquee attractions like theme parks all year long, we expect to see some softness but not a precipitous drop off.
As a “drive to” market, Cody Yellowstone has been an obligatory stop on the great American road trip for many generations. We are also an affordable destination with opportunities for visitors to economize. Many people choose hikes over helicopter rides, picnics instead of sit-down lunches and rodeos over a play. A memorable vacation is not contingent upon a huge budget. Kids surprise their parent time and again when they list their favorite vacation memories. Hotel pools can be more fun than a full-blown waterpark, and a horseback ride can be way better than a roller coast ride.
Here are some of the things we have done the past two months promoting these messages:
- Partnered with Paramount+ with advertisements on the show 1923. The audience for this show is very interested in the West and is a solid potential group of visitors.
- Launched a Summer refresh of our Adrian award-winning ad campaign WILD Forever on social media using a combination of organic and paid campaigns.
- Developed suggested protocols to deal with a drop in international visitors. We want those visitors who do show up to feel valued so that they will relay to their friends and neighbors that Cody Yellowstone is still a welcoming destination.
- Kicked off a co-op campaign with Xanterra Travel Collection and Montana’s Yellowstone Country aimed at Yellowstone-bound travelers to include us in their journey. This campaign highlights our amazing experiences as well as options to eat, stay and explore throughout the region in an all-inclusive package.
- Began laying out itineraries and making arrangements for 12 individual and group familiarization tours this summer with more to come. Included will be more than 20 international visitors from the travel/trade industry as well as multiple high-level journalists.
Additional efforts include:
- Collecting grants exceeding $500,000 for Fiscal Year 2026. The PCTC board of directors will soon begin the process of reviewing requests and distributing these funds.
- Supporting new city gateway signs which have been approved by the city councils of Cody and Powell. Once the signs are approved by the respective planning and zoning commissions, Cody will install four welcome signs while Powell will install two.
- Finalized plans for PCTC to attend the Rocky Mountain International Roundup in Rapid City, S.D. to present Cody Yellowstone to 45 international tour operators.
[Header image ©andyaustinphoto.com]
Park County Travel Council
Cody Yellowstone
Cody Yellowstone’s mission is to promote and facilitate increased travel to and within Park County. We strive to fuel market demand and drive a healthy tourism economy.